Bags



July 30, 1968 R. J. WILLIAMS ETA'- 3,394,871

BAGS

6 Sheets-Sheet l Original Filed Jan. 29, 1964 July 30, 1968 R J WILLIAMS ETAL 3,394,871

BAGS

6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Jan. 29. 1964 July 3o, 1968 R J- W'LLAMS ET 3,394,871

BAGS

6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed Jan. 29, 1964 R. J. WILLIAMS ETAI- 3,394,871

July 30, 1968 BAGS Original Filed Jan. 29, 1964 G Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG. I3.

FIG. I6.

FIG. I5.

BAGS

R- J. WILLIAMS ET AL July 30, 1968 original Filed Jan. 29, 1964 July 30, 1968 R. J. WILLIAMS ET AL 3,394,871

BAGS

Original Filed Jan. 29, 1964 Sheets-Sheet 6 F'IG2I.

United States Patent O 1964. This application Nov. 25, 1966, Ser. No. 597,169

9 Claims. (Cl. 229--62.5)

ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A plastic bag has a plastic tape folded around one end therefore and heat-selaed to the bag walls with heat-sealinhibiting material precluding sealing together of the walls where the tape is sealed to the walls. A plastic bag has a heat-sealed pinch type closure with heat-seal-inhibiting material precluding sealing together of the Walls Where the closure is sealed. A plastic bag has an interrupted or vented heat-sealed longitudinal seam with heatseal-inhibiting material in a pattern for forming the interrupted or vented longitudinal seam.

A plastic bag has a valve sleeve sealed in a heat-sealed longitudinal seam with heat-seal-inhibiting material on the inside of the sleeve to preclude sealing together of the walls of the sleeve.

This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 340,995, filed J an. 29, 1964 and now abandoned This invention relates to bags, and more particularly to bags made of flexible heat-scalable sheet material.

The invention is especially concerned with bags made of flexible heat-scalable sheet material, such as polyethylene, and more particularly bags having an area 0r areas including a plurality of layers of the heat-scalable rnaterial, wherein the layers are in part joined by a heat seal and in part free of one another by reason of inhibition of heat-sealing. This inhibition is effected by providing a coating of a heat-seal-inhibiting material on one of the layers in a pattern such as to inhibit heat-sealing where it is desired that the layers be free of one another.

One phase of the invention utilizing heat-seal-inhibition as above noted involves the provision of novel end closures for bags made of flexible heat-scalable sheet material such as polyethylene, so constructed as to resist failure of the closures despite rough handling of the bags, while minimizing the amount of material required for bags of a given capacity. Another phase of the invention utilizing heat-seal-inhibition as above noted involves the provision of bags made of such material with a heat-sealed longitudinal seam (a so-called back seam) of the so-called interrupted or zipperproof type adapted to resist strain better than a continuous line seal (see, for example, U.S. Patent 2,999,042). Another phase of the invention utilizing heat-seal-inhibition as above noted involves the provision of bags made of such material with vents in the longitudinal seam to allow for escape of air from the bag without causing leakage of the contents of the bag. Still another phase of the invention utilizing heat-seal-inhibition as above noted involves the provision of a valve bag made of such material having a Valve sleeve of similar material wherein bag seals are made in the region of the valve sleeve without blocking of the valve sleeve. Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the constructions hereinafter described, the scope of the invention being indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which several of various possible embodiments of the invention are illustrated,

ICC

FIG. 1 is a perspective illustrating the manufacture of bag tubes to be provided with end closures of the folded tape type in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective of a bag tube per se made in accordance with FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a perspective showing the FIG. 2 bag tube provided with a folded tape closure at the bottom in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged section taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing the walls of the bag separated;

FIG. 6 is a view in side elevation showing how bags may be provided with a top closure of the folded tape type in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 7 is a plan of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged vertical section taken on line 8 8 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a perspective illustrating the manufacture of bag tubes to be provided with end closures of the pinch type in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 10 is a view in elevation of a bag tube per se made in accordance with FIG. 9;

FIG. ll is an enlarged section through a pinch bottom Iformed on the FIG. 10 bag tube;

FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. 1l showing the walls of the bag separated;

FIG. 13 is a perspective illustrating the manufacture of bag tubing with a longitudinal seam of the interrupted seal type in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 14 is a perspective illustrating a bag tube made from the FIG. 13 tubing;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged section taken on line 15-15 of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a view illustrating an alternative interrupted seal pattern;

FIG. 17 is a perspective illustrating the manufacture of bag tubing with a vented longitudinal seam in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 18 is a perspective of a bag tube made from the FIG. 17 bag tubing;

FIG. 19 is an enlarged section taken on line 19-19 of FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is an enlarged section taken on line 20-20 of FIG. 18;

FIG. 2l is a view illustrating the manufacture of valve sleeves for a valve bag made in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 22 is a perspective of the valve bag; and,

FIG. 23 is an enlarged section taken on line 23-23 of FIG. 22.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring tirst to FIG. 1 lof the drawings, there is indicated at 1 -a continuous web of iiexible heat-sealable sheet plastic material such as polyethylene. As appears in FIG. 1, this web is formed into tubing 3 by folding over side marginal portions 5 and 7 of the web into overlapping relation, and heat-sealing together the overlapping margins 9 Vand 11 of the folded-over side marginal portions 5 and 7 to form a heat-sealed longitudinal tubing seam 13. Tubing 13 is then segmented into individual bag tubes 15 by cutting it transversely on lines spaced at bag length interval-s.

Prior to the formation of the Web 1 into the tubing 3, the web is printed with any desired matter such as indicated at 17 and further printed with heat-seal-inhibiting material in ya predetermined pattern shown as stripes 19, these stripes extending transversely across the web on that face of the web which becomes the inside face yof tubing 3 and being spaced at bag length intervals. The heal-'seal-inhibiting material may be, for example, a commercially available polyamide-base ink which is unpigmented so as not to appear through the polyethylene, Or, if desired, the ink may be pigmented so that the stripes appear through the polyethylene. The segmenting into bag tubes of the tubing 3 formed from the printed web 1 is effected generally on the center lines `of the stripes 19 which extend transversely across the tubing, so that each bag tube has at each end thereof a stripe 21 of heat-sealinhibiting material, generally half the width of the original stripe 19, extending all around the bag tube on the inside face thereof.

FIG. 2 shows one of the bag tubes 15 formed by the operations illustrated in FIG. 1 with the bag tube opened up and in such perspective as to reveal the Stripe 21 of heat-seal-inhibiting material at the bottom of the bag tube. As shown in FIGS. 3-5, the bottom is closed by folding a tape 23 of flexible heat-scalable sheet plastic material such as polyethylene around the bottom of the bag, and applying heat and pressure to the associated tube and tape to effect heat-sealing of one side 23a of the folded tape 23 to the outside of one wall 25 of the bag tube all along a seal 27 extending throughout the width of the tube, and heat-sealing of the other `side 23h of the fol-ded tape 23 to the outside of the other wall 29 of the bag tube all along a seal 31 extending throughout the width of the bag tube. The heal-seal-inhibiting pattern at 21 positively and deliberately precludes heal-sealing together of the walls 25 and 29 -of the bag tube along the line of the seals at 27 and 31 between the tape 23 and the `walls 25 and 29 of the bag. After the resultant bag has been filled through its open mouth, the latter may be closed in the same manner as the bottom.

The bag closure constituted by tape 23 heat-sealed by the seals at 27 and 31 to the outside faces of the bag Walls 25 and 29 but without any sealing together of the inside faces of the bag walls in view of the positive inhibition Iof sealing by the heal-seal-inhibiting material at 21, is a strong closure, stresses incurred on dropping or other rough handling of the filled bag being taken in shear by seals 27 and 31. As will be understood, these seals are strongly resistant to separation in shear. Positive elimination kof a face-to-face seal between walls 25 and 29 by means of the heat-seal-inhibiting material at 21 insures preservation of the strength of the seals at 27 and 31. If there were a face-to-face seal between the walls 25 and 29 it would be a weak seal, resisting rupture only by its resistance to peeling apart, and its peel resistance would inherently be low. In this regard, it will be understood that the resistance to .rupture of a heat seal in peel is considerably less than its resistance to rupture in shear. The face-to-face seal would tend to peel apart under stresses incurred on rough handling of the bag, and this would tend to weaken the bag along the line of seals 27 and 31. Consequently, the strength of the bag is preserved by positive inhibition of a face-to-face seal be tween the bag walls along the line of the seals 27 and 31. Moreover, without a face-to-face seal between the bag walls along this line, the capacity of the bag is increased or, conversely, the bag maybe shorter for a given capacity. This is because the tape 23 initially forms the end closure at the very end of the bag tube, rather than -a face-to-fa-ce seal between the bag walls spaced from the end of the bag tube.

It `will 'be understood that stripes 19 (or other suitable pattern) may be printed on the web 1 in the travel of the web through the printing press for printing the matter such as indicated at 17. The latter is shown as printed on that face of the web which becomes the outside face of the bag tubes, and stripes 19 are printed on the other face of the web which becomes the inside face of the bag tubes. Stripes 19 need not be as long as shown. They may be of shorter length and so located laterally in respect to the web as to extend across only one wall of the bag tube. The surface of the web to which the heat-seal-inhibiting ink is applied may be treated for improved adhesion of the ink. When the heat-seal-inhibiting material is applied to only one wall of the bag, it has been found that best results are obtained if the surface of that wall is treated and the surface of the other wall is not treated.

FIGS. 6-8 illustrate a method of forming bag top closures of the type shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. At 41 in FIGS. `6 and 7 is indicated an endless conveyor for conveying filled bags 43 in the direction from right to left through a first station 45 where heat-seal-inhibiting material is applied, a second station 47 where a tape is applied, and a third station 49 where sealing of the tape to the bag walls is effected. Bags 43 have bottom closures such as indicated at 51, which rnay be of the type shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and have been previously filled through their open mouths. They have not previously had heatseal-inhibiting material applied to the inside of their open mouths. They are fed forward from right to left in upright position by the conveyor 41, and the walls 0f each bag at its mouth are pinched together and flattened by being caught between opposed reaches 53 of a pair of endless belts 55. These belts are located at such a height above the conveyor 41 that the mouth ends of the bags project up above the belts for some distance.

As each bag is fed forward, the leading end (the left end) of its flattened mouth portion projecting up above the opposed reaches 53 of the belts 55 engages a pin 57 at station 45, which opens up and flattens out the projecting mouth portion 0f the bag. The opened-up mouth then passes below and in contact with an inking roller 59 at station 45 which applies heat-seal-inhibiting ink to the opened-up lips 61 at the mouth of the bag as indicated at 63 in FIG. 8. As the bag moves forward past the roller, the heat-seal-inhibiting ink dries, and then the openedup lips 61 spring back up into opposed face-to-face relation.

At the taping station 47, a tape 65, fed down from a roll 67, is guided over the top edge of the bag by a roller 69, and folded around the top edge by folding rollers 71. At the sealing station 49, the top edge of the bag with the tape 65 thereon passes between a pair of elongate hot air blast chambers 73 which are supplied with heated air via ducts 75. These chambers have air outlets in the sides thereof facing the folded tape 65, and the heated air blows out through these outlets to effect sealing of the tape to the bag walls without face-to-face sealing together of the bag walls due to inhibition of such sealing by the heat-seal-inhibiting material 63 applied at station 45. Portions of tape 65 between bags are cut, and the bags then have top closures of the same type as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 9 shows the manufacture of bag tubes for forming bags with pinch type closures in accordance with this invention, Fig. l0 shows a bag tube so made, and FIGS. 11 and 12 show the completed closure. Referring to FIG. 9, there is indicated at 81 a continuous web of flexible heat-scalable sheet plastic material such as polyethylene. This is formed into tubing 83 by folding over side marginal portions 85 and 87 of the web into overlapping relation `and heat-sealing the overlapping margins of the folded-over side marginal portions to form a heatsealed longitudinal tubing seam at 89. Tubing 83 is then segmented into individual bag tubes 91 by cutting it transversely on lines spaced at bag length intervals.

Prior to the formation of the web 81 into the tubing S3, the web is printed in a pattern comprising -pairs of stripes 93 of heat-seal-inhibiting material extending transversely across the web on that face of the web which becomes the inside face of tubing 83. The two stripes of each pair are spaced apart a distance such as indicated at 95, and the pairs are spaced at bag length intervals. The segmenting into bag tubes 91 of the tubing 83 formed from the web 81 is effected generally on lines extending centrally between the two stripes 93 of each pair of stripes, so that each bag tube 91 has a stripe 93 adjacent but spaced from one end and a stripe 93 adjacent but spaced from its other end. Each stripe extends all around the bag tube on the inside face thereof.

FIG. shows one of the bag tubes 91 formed by the operations illustrated in FIG. 9. The lower end portion of the tube below the lower stripe 93 is designated 97. The tube is formed with a pinch type closure by folding portion 9,7 on a fold line such as indicated at 99 in FIGS. 11 and 12 over onto the outside of one wall 101 of the tube, and then applying heat and pressure to effect sealing together of the portions of the two walls of the tube included in portion 97 and the wall 101 of the tube all along a seal 103 extending throughout the width of the tube. The heat-seal-inhibiting material at 93 positively and deliberately precludes heat-sealing together of wall 101 of the tube and the other wall 105 of the tube all along the line of the seal 103. After the resultant bag has been filled through its open mouth, the latter may be closed by a pinch type closure in the same manner as the bottom. Generally the same considerations apply to this pinch type closure as to the taped closure of FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 13 shows the manufacture of bag tubing for forming bags with an interrupted longitudinal seam in accordance with this invention, and FIGS. 14 and 15 illustrate a bag tube segmented from tubing so made. Referring to FIG. 13, there is indicated at 111 a continuous web of flexible heat-scalable sheet material such as polyethylene. This is formed into tubing 113 by folding over side marginal portions 115 and 117 of the web into overlapping relation and heat-sealing the overlapping margins 119 and 121 of portions 115 and 117 to form a heatsealed longitudinal or back seam at 123.

Prior to the formation of the web into the tubing 113, the web is printed with a stripe 125 of heat-seal-inhibiting material extending continuously along lone margin of the web (shown as the margin of the web which becomes the outside overlapping margin 119 in the longitudinal seam) on that face of this margin which becomes opposed to the other margin when the web is tubed. This stripe is of a special pattern such `as to form an interrupted seam, shown in FIG. 13 as having longitudinally continuous side bands 127 on opposite sides of an unprinted continuous central band 129, the latter having laterally extending projections 131 at uniformly spaced intervals along the length of the stripe.

In forming the heat-sealed longitudinal seam at 123,

heat and pressure are applied in a band of width corresponding generally to the width of the -stripe 125. As a result of the interposition of stripe 125 between the overlapping margins 119 and 121 of the web, these margins becoming sealed together at 123 only in the Iheat-seal pattern of the unprinted central-noninhibiting band 129 with its lateral projections 131. Thus, seal 123 is of the so-called interrupted seal type having spaced transversely extending sealed areas 133 and a continuous Seal 135 traversing said areas.

FIG. 16 illustrates a different pattern for the heat-sealinhibiting stripe 125 in which the central noninhibiting band 129 which establishes the 'heat-seal pattern has angled lateral projections 131a instead of the rightangle projections 131 shown in FIG. 13 for forming interrupted seal areas of chevron shape. Various other Suitable interrupted seal patterns may be used.

FIG. 17 illustrates the manufacture of bag tubing for forming bags with vents in the longitudinal seam in accordance with this invention, and FIGS. 18-20 illustrate a bag tube segmented from tubing so made. Referring to FIG. 17, there is indicated at 141 a continuous web of flexible heat-scalable sheet material such as polyethylene. This is formed into tubing 143 lby folding over side marginal portions 145 and 147 of the web into overlapping relation and heat-sealing the margins 149 and 151 6.. of portions and 147 to form a heat-sealed longitudinal or back seam at 153.

Prior to the formation of the web into the tubing 143, the web is printed along one margin (shown as the margin of the web which becomes the outside overlapping margin 149 in the longitudinal seam) with a longitudinal series of spots shown as being in the form of transversely extending short stripes of heat-seal-inhibiting material. These spots or stripes 155 are spaced at intervals along the stated margin of the web on that face of this margin which becomes opposed to the other margin when the web is tubed. When seam 153 is formed, spots or stripes 155 inhibit sealing at spaced intervals throughout the length of the seam 153 to provide gaps 157 in the seam 153 constituting vents.

FIG. 21 shows the manufacture of valve sleeves for use in valve bags in accordance with this invention, and FIGS. 22 and 23 illustrate a valve bag having one of these sleeves therein. As shown in FIG. 21, a strip of flexible heat-sealable sheet material 161 is folded in half at 163 along its longitudinal center line and its margins are heatsealed together as indicated at 165 to form flat tubing 167. This tubing is then segmented into valve sleeves such as indicated at 169 in FIG. 22. Prior to the folding of the strip 161, it is printed with stripes 171 of heat-sealinhibiting material, these stripes extending transversely across the strip on that face of the strip which becomes the inside face of the tubing 167, and being spaced at sleeve length intervals. The segmenting of the tubing into sleeves is effected -on transverse lines spaced at sleeve length intervals and lying intermediate the stripes.

FIGS. 22 and 23 show a bag 173 formed from a ybag tube made of flexible heat-scalable sheet material such as polyethylene having a heat-sealed longitudinal seam 175 and end closures 177. The latter may be of the type shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Prior to the formation of the heat seal 179 of the seam 175, a valve sleeve 169 is inserted in the longitudinal seam (i.e., between the overlapping margins of the bag material constituting the seam) with heat-sealinhibiting stripe 171 of the sleeve in register with the ultimate line of heat seal 179. When heat seal 179 is made, sleeve 169 becomes sealed into the seam 175 as indicated at 181 in FIG. 23. However, the heat-seal-inhibiting stripe 171 prevents sealing together of the walls of the sleeve when heat seal 179 is made, thereby preventing blocking of the sleeve.

In view of the above, it will be `seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. A bag comprising a tube made of flexible heat-sealabley sheet material having opposed walls, and having an end closure comprising two additional layers of flexible heat-scalable sheet material, said layers and walls being heat-sealed together along a line of seal extending transversely across the tube throughout the width of the tube, the material of said tube being permanently imprinted with a heat-seal-inhibiting printing ink on the inside of at least one of said walls in register with said line of seal positively precluding heat-sealing together of the inside faces of said walls along said line of seal, whereby stress on the end closure incurred when the filled bag is dropped is taken in shear where said layers and walls are heatsealed together, said end closure being constituted by an end portion of the tube folded over on one of said walls, the portions of said walls included in said end portion of the tube being heat-sealed together and heat-sealed to the outside face of said one wall along said'line of seal, said ink positively precluding heat-sealing together of the in- 7 side faces of said walls along said line of seal inward of said fold.

2. A bag comprising a tube made of flexible heatsealable sheet material having overlapping margins delining a longitudinal tube seam, said material being perrnanently imprinted with heat-seal-inhibiting printing ink in a predetermined pattern on that face of one of said margins opposed to the other margin, said pattern being such as to inhibit heat-sealing together of said margins over one part of their area and to provide for face-to-face contact of said margins for heat-sealing thereof over another part of their area, and said margins being heatsealed together in the latter part of their area and being free of one another in said one part of their area.

3. A bag as set forth in claim 2 wherein said pattern is such as to provide an interrupted heat seal between said margins.

4. A bag as set forth in claim 3 wherein said interrupted heat seal comprises spaced transversely extending sealed areas and a continuous longitudinal seal traversing said areas.

5. A bag as set forth in claim 4 wherein said transverse areas are at right angles to the continuous longitudinal seal.

6. A bag as set forth in claim 4 wherein said transverse areas are of chevron shape.

7. A bag as set forth in claim 2 wherein said pattern is such as to provide gaps in the seal along said longitudinal seam for venting purposes.

8. A valve bag comprising a tube made from flexible heat-sealable sheet material, a valve sleeve made from flexible heat-sealable sheet material inserted between opposed portions of the material, a heat seal along said portions securing said sleeve therebetween, said sleeve being permanently imprinted with heat-seal-inhibiting printing ink on the inside face thereof in register with said heat seal precluding sealing together of the opposite sides of the sleeve.

9. A valve bag as set forth in claim 8 wherein said tube has a heat-sealed longitudinal seam including overlapping margins of the tube material, and said sleeve is inserted in said seam.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,440,664 4/1948 Irons 156-289 X 3,000,415 9/1961 Kritchever 150-3 3,094,432 6/ 1963 Jagenberg 229-51 DAVID M. BOCKENEK, Prima/y Examiner. 

